Missing monkey found on porch in Fairfield

Bug, a 10-year-old Capuchin, escaped after a fire Saturday

Fire officials listed the estimate for the Saturday morning fire at 100,000. (Submitted)

FAIRFIELD &GT;&GT; A missing monkey from the East Coast Exotic Animal Shelter was found on May 19 at a home in Fairfield.

Keith and Sherri Bell discovered the monkey on their back porch between 6:30 and 7 p.m. Keith was able to keep Bug, the 10-year-old Capuchin monkey, happy on the back porch with a bowl of cat food while his wife, Sherri, called the local police.

Representatives from the animal shelter arrived within seven minutes of the call to take Bug home.

"It's kind of funny," Keith said of the experience. "We knew the monkey was missing, and I had just made a joke about the monkey probably looking in the windows at us. Then the dog started barking, there was this bump sound and there was the monkey."

Though Bug was initially hesitant to get into his cage, Keith said, a woman from the shelter gave him a gummy bear and he crawled onto her lap.

"We are very happy he was found," Keith said. "He seemed pretty scared at first."

Bug had escaped from East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue after a fire destroyed the building Saturday. Rescue owner Sue Murray saved Bug and another monkey, named Whooey, from the fire Saturday.

Murray handed Whooey to Bishop's daughter, Courtney, who put her in a car.

Bug, however, got scared while in a temporary cage, and escaped. Rescue workers spotted him behind the shelter Sunday afternoon but were unable to capture him.

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Bug was born at the rescue shortly after his parents were rescued from a research facility about 10 years ago, Bishop said. The baby monkey, however, soon fell ill because of neglect from his mother.

That's where Bishop and two other rescue workers came to the rescue. The trio — Bishop, Murray and rescue worker Sue March — raised Bug by hand, bottle-feeding him and taking turns babysitting when the other "moms" were busy.

"It was like having a medically challenged newborn," Bishop explained.

At the shelter, volunteers spoiled Bug. He enjoyed meal worms and fresh fruit, like mangoes and strawberries, and plenty of attention from his caretakers.

In short, Bug was never prepared for life in the wild.

Bug could have fallen prey to any number of predators in the wooded area around the shelter, from snakes to dogs, Bishop said. The chilly nights also had his caretakers worried.

Meanwhile, volunteers continue to care for the other animals that were rescued from the shelter. Some, like the big cats, are still in their enclosures, which were unaffected by the blaze. Animals that were in the building, including birds and snakes, are either in the care of veterinarians or volunteers.

Continuing to provide for these animals has been a challenge because the rescue no longer has electricity, Bishop said. For now, workers are preparing food on a nearby picnic table and storing it in a single refrigerator powered by a generator.

Word of a GoFundMe online fundraising campaign, organized by Tracy Barnhart Sheaffer of the Fayetteville area, also has spread on social media following the fire. Those who want to contribute to East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue's expenses are able to do so at www.gofundme.com/9ajrus.